The International Dragon
by DragonMistressandTamer
Summary: When an orphaned boy gets adopted and moves to NYC he learns from the American Dragon that he is a dragon from a line of ancient dragons. From this discovery his life takes on many paths and choices that he is faced with as the International Dragon.
1. Introduction

**Chapter 1 - Introduction**

The magical community had always existed peacefully side by side with the real world. But that wouldn't last forever like the legends of fantasy creatures, which will always inspire generations of people. One of the most beloved and famous of creatures, the dragon, had always lived in the real world of men, being hunted by knights and dragon slayers over the centuries. The mythical creatures influenced many and gave hope to people.

One dragon in particular, laid his life on the line and befriended a man, Bowen, descendent from King Arthur; even though nobody knows exactly how, since the lineage was twisted and very complicated. Yet Bowen was a knight of The Old Code, which the dragon knew very well. Bowen gave the dragon a name and that name was Draco. Draco still watches over the world from the stars. Together, Draco and Bowen inspired many and changed England in more ways then they knew they could. Even though Draco died because of an impractical decision on his part, Bowen outlived him and led England on into a time of happiness for the people. Draco was the last of the dragons until an egg was found many years later.

From the egg hatched a dragon. The world had become filled with evil and despair since Bowen's death. A group known as the Hunstclan had started to hunt and steal magical creatures. The dragon, known as Drake, tried to fight and destroy the Huntsclan but he could not by himself. He then evolved to be able to change his form from dragon to human at will with the many magical abilities that the dragons posses. This way he could hide and conceal himself from the Huntsclan easier. From this point on, dragons have always protected the magical community. When Drake became old and could not fight well anymore, he retired and married a beautiful woman. He had five children, all of which were half dragon and half human and could change from human to dragon at will like their father. It was then their duty to protect the magical creatures from the Huntsclan like their father did before them.

Over the years dragons grew in number and began to spread over the world. They would move to where the Huntsclan was spreading to. The dragons again adapted to fit into their surroundings and culture. They took on the different looks of which we see them portrayed as today. They moved to Asia, Africa and South America protecting all the magical creatures within their region. They were referred to as the country where they were the protectors. Their numbers kept increasing and they needed some form of council. Thus, the Dragon Council was established at the World Dragon Summit. The council would keep track of all the known dragons and train them.

Today in the world there is now even an Australian Dragon and an American Dragon which are both new to both of their regions. Dragons have never been in Australia or America since they were not inhabited during the time when dragons first came to power. But now there is a new dragon on the block, and this is where it begins…


	2. Orphanage

**Chapter 2 – Orphanage**

London has always been a city of business and one filled with history. The city is always bustling with activity. London's streets are filled with shops and historical places to visit. Double-decker buses pass by in the street and the red telephone booths can be seen occasionally. Tourists flock to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and the London Eye. English pubs and the underground railway are packed with people from many different cultures. While London is packed and busy everyday, an orphanage sits between buildings unnoticed and never paid any attention. Here live the unwanted and abandoned children of London.

One child in particular, Alden Draco Pendragon, would be influenced by England's history more than he knew. Alden not only had the last name of a famous knight and a constellation for his middle name, but a very interesting past he knew nothing of. Alden was 13 years old and would be in the eighth grade if he didn't live at an orphanage and went to public school. He was tall for his age with dirt-brown hair and bright green eyes that made you feel like he could read your thoughts and knew everything about you, sending shivers down your spine. Alden was also very intelligent for his age and wise beyond his experience and years. He was well-built and very athletic with many skills that would make a father proud; he was flexible, strong, quick, agile and muscular with a lot of endurance. Alden was very mature and the girls say even attractive. His life wasn't that bad at the orphanage.

Alden liked to play sports with the children at the orphanage. The children loved him and looked up to him like an older brother. Alden had a very creative imagination and would tell the other children stories about dragons, magic and damsels in distress. He loved magical creatures and read a lot of fantasy books donated to the orphanage.

Alden had not been adopted because he was thought to be too high spirited and unfit to be in a family. He was the oldest kid at the orphanage since he wouldn't be adopted. Alden had always been told, while growing up, that his parents had been killed in a plane crash. He absolutely had no idea who his parents were and where he even came from. He always asked Mrs. Smith, the lady who ran the orphanage, but she had no idea at all. The police had dropped him off in the middle of the night 12 years ago.

Alden always thought that he would live at the orphanage his whole life until one day…


	3. Adoption

**Chapter 3 – Adoption**

Alden was outside in the back of the orphanage playing soccer when a black rental car pulled up in front. A man and woman got out of the car and started to walk up the sidewalk. Mrs. Smith, the caretaker of the orphanage, yelled out the back door at Alden to make him come in after she had seen the couple out front from her office. Mrs. Smith cleaned herself up in the mirror, checking her hair and makeup. The doorbell rang. _Ding-Dong._ Mrs. Smith ran to the door and opened it, trying to act like she hadn't expected them.

"Hello," she greeted the couple, "my name is Mrs. Smith."

"Hello," replied the man, "my name is Johnathan Thomas and this is my wife Abigail." Mr. Thomas had brown hair and brown eyes. He was tall, six feet to be exact. He was very athletic and well-built. His eyes sparkled with intelligence and he was very attractive looking.

"Nice to meet you," replied Mrs. Smith, kindly.

"We would like to adopt a child," continued Mr. Thomas.

"Well, please come in then," exclaimed Mrs. Smith while shuffling the couple in. "Children!" called Mrs. Smith, "we have company."

A few minutes passed while all the children ran around tidying up their home and their appearance. Alden was the last to come in. Mrs. Thomas seemed interested in Alden when he came to stand with the other children.

"Hello," the woman said to Alden, "and what would your name be?"Mrs. Thomas had blonde hair and joyful, bright blue eyes. She was tall like her husband, at five foot and seven inches. She was athletic, intelligent and attractive like her husband. They were a perfect match for each other.

"Alden, ma'am," answered Alden, confidently.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 13, ma'am."

"Honey," the woman said turning to her husband, "he's the perfect age we're looking for. I would like to adopt him, he seems perfect!"

"Are you sure about this?" asked the man, "We just got here."

"Yes."

"Excuse me, while we talk this over for a minute," he said to Mrs. Smith.

They stepped into the kitchen for a minute while they discussed it. When a conclusion was made, they came back out.

"We would like to adopt Alden," Mr. Thomas said to Mrs. Smith.

"Well, step into my office and sign some papers for me and he'll be yours," invited Mrs. Smith. "Alden, go pack your things."

When they were seated in the office, Mrs. Smith continued, "Are you sure about Alden? Nobody ever wants to adopt him because they think he is too high spirited. Most people say his eyes make him look like a trouble maker with that gaze of his."

"Mrs. Smith, I would like to adopt Alden because I don't think he looks like he will cause any trouble, even though his eyes make you feel like he knows things that you don't," said Mrs. Thomas, defensively, "I think he looks like a very nice boy."

"Well, it's your choice. If you decide that it was not the best decision then you can always bring him back here."

"Where do we sign?" asked Mr. Thomas.

"You have to read and sign these papers here and then you are free to take Alden." Mrs. Smith then handed them the adoption papers. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas both read and agreed to the contract they had to sign. Alden was officially their son now.

After the adoption papers were signed and Alden had packed his things, the children and Mrs. Smith said their goodbyes while they waited for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas to load the car.

As Alden ran to the car he called back, "Goodbye! I'll miss you all!"

Everyone watched as Alden got into the car and drove away with his new parents. Today sure had been a busy and exciting day; and it wasn't even noon yet.

During the car ride to the hotel, Alden's new adopted parents told him about themselves.

"Alden," started Mr. Thomas, "my name is Johnathan, but you can just call me John for short."

"OK." Alden was still in shock over the fact he had just been adopted.

"I am the President of the International Bank and I have to travel a lot, so we can go on vacation as a family a lot."

Mrs. Thomas spoke for the first time since getting in the car, "My name is Abigail."

"It's nice to meet you both." Alden didn't know what else to say.

"I work as a part-time nurse at the local hospital near our home in New York City."

"You don't live in London then?" gasped Alden.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"I've never left London before." London was all that Alden had ever known. He had always lived in the orphanage. "When do we leave?"

"You're OK with moving to a new country?"

"Yes."

"As soon as we arrange things with the immigration office and get you duel citizenship and a passport," said Abigail, "we fly out tomorrow afternoon for New York City."

"OK." Alden agreed as they pulled up to the hotel. Alden had never been in a hotel before. _I wonder what it's like_ thought Alden. Alden was a bit scared but mainly excited. It was one big adventure. Alden's life had seemed to have been flipped over and he felt like he was in a dream. Everything was happening too fast for Alden to be able to accept what was happening. It was so confusing and hard to believe. _Why me?_ he wondered as they stopped in front of the hotel room. The hotel room was more spectacular then anything Alden had ever seen. It was luxury compared to the orphanage.

In the morning, Alden awoke well rested and energized. His senses were alert and he felt like he could do anything.

John and Abigail were up and packing all their belongings for their flight to New York City. Alden had packed his stuff the night before. They had taken him out shopping for clothes and he got something for himself. John and Abigail also took Alden out to dinner to a fancy restaurant to celebrate their new family after they had done some touring. They had taken him to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London and taken him to ride the London Eye. Alden had never seen the sights in London even when he had lived there his whole life.

"Good morning, Alden," said Abigail when she noticed Alden awake, sitting up in bed, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Are you ready to fly to New York City?" asked John from behind the suitcase he was packing.

"I think I'm ready as I'll ever be." Alden wasn't so sure about this whole flying thing. He had never been on a plane nor seen one either. You always heard about plane crashes on the front cover of the newspaper. Not to mention the fact that his parents had been killed in a plane crash too. But Alden's new life was just full of new experiences. _Just another adventure!_ he told himself.

After breakfast in the hotel's restaurant they took the rental car back. From the rental place, they caught a taxi to the airport. The airport was full of people from different cultures there on business. Alden had never been in a building this big and packed with people; it was overwhelming.

John, Abigail and Alden finally boarded the plane and it took off into the afternoon sky. The plane took off with such power that Alden felt small and of little importance compared to the plane's massive power. His ears kept popping as they gained altitude and it bothered him. Abigail gave him gum to chew to keep his ears from plugging. Alden had never had gum before either.

After half an hour, the flight attendant turned on _Spider-Man_ for the passengers to watch. Alden had never seen a movie before. The orphanage had a television but they only got the news, sports channels and cartoons on Saturday mornings.

After the movie Alden suddenly asked, "Why did you adopt me? Not just because of my age, right?"

"Of course we didn't adopt you because of your age," Abigail replied, surprised.

"Then why did you?"

"Honestly Alden, I have no idea why I picked you. Something just said that you were the one. It was almost as if John and I were supposed to adopt you to be our son."

"What do you mean?" Alden asked, unsure of what Abigail had meant.

"Alden," said John, putting down his newspaper, "like what Abigail said, something about you attracted us to you. It felt like if we didn't adopt you that something bad would happen because we chose wrong. We were also looking for a child your age; with our jobs we would have been to busy to care for a baby."

"So you're saying that it was part of your destiny to adopt me or something."

"Sure," said Abigail, "something like that. I just can't find a word for it. My conscience told me it was better to adopt you then one of the other children. It's hard to explain really."

"I think I understand what you mean. Thanks for adopting me then. I thought I was doomed to stay in that orphanage my whole life."

"You're welcome Alden," Abigail said as Alden started to drift to sleep.

"I love you guys! Can I call you mom and dad then, since I've never had a mom and dad?" Alden asked sleepily.

"Sure Alden," Abigail said as Alden fell asleep. Alden was the perfect son Abigail had always dreamed of having.

Alden was nowhere near a trouble maker; he was perfect and very friendly. He wasn't shy, that's for sure. Alden just went along with the flow even though he was a good leader and role model with the children at the orphanage. If something wasn't how Alden liked it then he would change it, but most of the time he was just happy to have a roof over his head, good friends and food in his stomach. Alden was just happy to be alive and brought a smile to the faces of the people he knew and loved.


	4. Meet Jake Long

**Chapter 4 – Meet Jake Long**

Alden's new home in New York City, was a three story building surrounded by other houses. The house was located on the edge of the city. The front yard was a busy street with lots of cars; the back yard, a 20 by 20 foot patch of grass. Alden's room was on the third floor; it was a loft next to the attic with a fire pole to the second floor or stairs with a trap door. John and Abigail's room was on the second floor with the family room. On the first floor was the kitchen and dining room with an office and big entry way. The whole house was decorated with expensive furniture and paintings from different places of the world. His new parents were obviously paid a good salary to afford all this nice stuff.

This morning was August 22, 2005, Alden's first day of school; it was Alden's first time going to school. All the children at the orphanage were home schooled by volunteer retired teachers. Alden was extremely nervous and scared since once again, he was being thrown into the unknown and was totally exposed to things beyond his experience. Yet, a fire of bravery, courage and hope burned deep within him. He was prepared and alert for anything out of the unexpected, open to learning new things. An inner force from his soul rushed out, he was ready and could do anything he wanted; nothing was going to stop him. Alden was completely fearless; he wasn't sure where this force had come from and didn't exactly know what it was. However this force was an ancient force that had been part of his family forever as part of their being as nature had intended. It was more powerful than Alden could have guessed. _I wonder where that came from?_ he asked himself, but completely forgot the thought as Abigail called him.

"Are you ready Alden?" she called over the speaker system from the kitchen to his room.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute!" Alden answered back.

Alden ate breakfast that Abigail had made for him. He brushed his teeth and packed his lunch in his backpack, and then Abigail and Alden both walked a block down to the bus stop. John had to go to work early for a conference in the morning and couldn't see Alden off to his first day of school.

"Goodbye!" called Abigail from the sidewalk, waving to Alden as he got on board. The bus drove off with Alden and some other students from his new school.

Alden stepped off the bus at school and looked up to the sky. _Why sit inside all day when I could be out here playing?_ he wondered. So far today was a beautiful sunny day with no sign of any clouds. Just as Alden was looking down, he saw a red blur pass in the sky but when he looked up again there was nothing but blue sky. _I must be seeing things_ he concluded.

Alden was about to take a step when a kid on a skateboard rode up and stopped next to Alden, almost colliding with him.

"Sorry," said the kid looking up to see what Alden had been looking at.

"That's OK." Alden was still thinking about the red blur.

"Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I just moved from London."

"Cool."

"The name is Alden Pendragon."

"My name is Jake Long."

"Nice to meet you," Alden said politely.

"What classes do you have?"

Alden handed his schedule to Jake to compare. After a minute Jake had finished.

"Wow," exclaimed Jake, "we have all the same classes."

"Neat."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."

"OK." Alden couldn't believe how lucky he was to have made a friend already.

"This is Spud and Trixie," Jake said as he introduced them. "Guys this is Alden Pendragon."

"Hey, Alden!" hollered Trixie.

"What's up man!" greeted Spud.

"Nothing," answered Alden, "I just moved here from London."

Just then the five minute bell rang, time to go to class.

"Well, guys," Jake said, "Alden and me have English."

"OK," said Trixie and Spud together.

"We'll see you later in Professor Rotwood's class!" Jake yelled over the crowd.

"OK Jakey!" Trixie yelled back.

"Dudes, see you later!" Spud stuttered at Jake and Alden.

The rest of the school day went by fairly quickly and with nothing interesting happening. Alden had to agree with Jake, Trixie and Spud, that Professor Rotwood was a freak.

"Hey Alden," asked Jake hopefully after school, "do you skateboard?"

"No, I don't skateboard and I've never tried."

"Oh."

"Sorry Jake."

"We could teach you another day."

"Sure," said Alden, quickly adding, "nice dragon on your skateboard!"

"Thanks!"

"See you guys later!" Alden ran to catch the bus before it left without him.

On the ride home, Alden couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he knew Jake even thought he had just met him. _Why do I feel like I know him?_ he wondered.

That night Alden's dreams were troubling and kept him up most of the night. Alden had one very peculiar dream though.

_Alden was standing there thinking about dragons. He imagined himself as a dragon. He thought about turning into a dragon and then his appearance changed into a huge dragon. Alden the dragon was then running on the top of a building. He jumped off the building then panicked so he changed back and fell to his death below on the street._

Alden awoke with a start when he dreamed he was falling. _That was a really weird dream_ he thought. _I was a dragon in my dream_ he couldn't believe it. He had never had any dream like that before. Alden fell back to sleep and didn't have anymore dreams.

The next morning Alden woke up and immediately remembered his dream. He still couldn't find any explanation for it. _Humans can't change into dragons_ he told himself _and dragons don't even exist in the first place._

Alden got out of bed and made his way to the window to see what the weather was doing. He almost fainted from what he thought he saw. He had just seen a fairy go by his window. _I must be sick_ he decided. _I am seeing things or I have lost my mind or maybe both_ he thought as he searched for an answer.

"Mom, I think I may be sick." Alden was dressed and just came downstairs.

"You don't have a fever," Abigail said as she felt his forehead, "and you look fine to me."

"I must be tired."

"Then you must get to bed early tonight."

"OK," groaned Alden at the thought of going to school.

Jake, Trixie, Spud and him had to do a pointless essay for Professor Rotwood on dragons. Professor Rotwood had obviously never heard any of the stories about dragons. He was totally clueless. He thought dragon's brains were no bigger than a peanut! Yeah right! All the stories told of dragons being very observant, cunning, intelligent and wise and unpredictable with their actions. They were heroes of the stories along with knights in shining armor. One dragon of legend, Draco, befriended a knight named Bowen.

In Professor Rotwood's class they went down to the library to work on their essay. Jake, Trixie, Spud and him were sitting around a table, each reading a book on dragons. When Jake had had enough of this pointless reading he looked up to see that Trixie was finishing her essay, Spud dozing in the chair next to him and Alden reading his dragon book still. But wait, something had caught Jake's attention. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing! Alden's arm was shimmering from skin to scales! But that would mean that there was another dragon here in America. The Dragon Council would have informed either him or his grandpa though. _He must be an unknown dragon_ he came to realize. The Dragon Council rarely misses a dragon. After school, Jake raced to his grandpa's shop to ask him about Alden being a dragon.

Later that night, Alden got a phone call from Jake. He told Alden that what he had to say was very important but had to remain a secret. _But what would be important enough that I have to keep it a secret?_ he wondered. _Nothing ever important has to do with me._ But that would all change as Jake proceeded to tell Alden his news.

"Alden you're a dragon." Jake had just decided to go ahead and flat out tell him the truth.

"W…What?" asked Alden shocked.

"You're a dragon," repeated Jake.

"But there are no such things as real dragons!" exclaimed Alden.

"Yes there are dragons; and every kind of magical creature you could name."

"But how do you know?"

"I am the American Dragon," Jake confessed.

"What do you mean the American Dragon?" asked Alden more confused.

"I am a dragon just like you, but I am the first dragon to protect the United States of American so the Dragon Council calls me the American Dragon," Jake explained.

"Oh." Things were starting to fall into place in Alden's head. _That explains the fairy I saw_ he realized _and my dream last night!_ He laughed at the thought that he had thought he was crazy.

"Are you still there?" Jake's voice came from the receiver by Alden's ear.

"Yes. Sorry Jake." Alden was pulled back to reality. "But I don't look like a dragon."

"No, you don't look like one; but you are one."

"What? How do I become a dragon?" Alden asked, thinking of the dream he had the other night.

"Well you control your appearance with your mind."

"So if I think about being a dragon then I will change my form?"

"Yes, something along that line, but it takes a lot of discipline."

"But how am I a dragon?"

"Your parents must have been dragons or at least one parent was a dragon. I am from an ancient family of dragons too."

"OK." Alden was just more confused since he knew nothing about his parents. "Were you the red blur that flew over me the other day?"

"Yes, I hadn't expected someone to be looking up then."

"Oh, you mean that nobody else knows about the magical creatures but they live in New York City without being noticed."

"Yes, that is true, but they use to live side by side peacefully. That is how the stories and legends were thought of."

Jake was trying his best to explain but he didn't know as much as his grandpa. _That's it!_ he thought. "Alden, come with me to my grandpa's shop tomorrow and he can help train you to master your dragon powers with me."

"OK Jake, I'll do that," said Alden. "But why did my powers start to show now?"

"My grandpa said that it was because you had been near just people your whole life with no training that your mind never knew it and remained dormant. Then you moved here and were exposed to me, another dragon, that your powers were then activated."

"OK, well that answers my questions for now."

"Good. See you tomorrow then."

"Bye Jake." Alden hung up, his mind full of new things to think about.

_This is so cool!_ _I had always wished that dragons were real, but to be one myself!_ he couldn't believe it. _Then that must mean my parents were dragons too_ he realized _and they had never left any clues for me!_

Alden was too excited and couldn't stop thinking about dragons. He was up till midnight, his mind whirling with ideas. He couldn't wait until after school to find the truth about his past. _I could have lived in London the rest of my life and never found my destiny_ he thought. As sleep claimed him he visited the dream world. His dreams were full of questions and ideas about his past and his parents. He had to find out more about them.


	5. Alden's History

**Chapter 5 – Alden's History**

Alden woke to another beautiful and noisy morning in New York City. He sat in bed, tempted to just lay back and fall asleep again. Alden was thinking about the prospect of another tiring day of school. He thought about his new friends and how excited he was to see Trixie, Spud and Jake. JAKE! It hit him like a sack of potatoes. Jake had called him last night, late before Alden went to bed. Jake had told him that he, Alden Draco Pendragon, was a dragon. A DRAGON! He still couldn't believe it. Alden had to go with Jake after school to Jake's grandpa's shop to speak with the dragon master and train. _Maybe he can tell me who my parents are_ he thought. _I wonder what he will teach me?_ he wondered.

"Alden!" Abigail's voice came over the speaker startling Alden from his thoughts, "Are you ready yet?"

"I'll be down in a minute," Alden replied through the speaker.

He jumped out of bed and scrambled around trying to get dressed. Alden almost tripped several times while racing around his room. _I really should be more organized and clean my room_ he told himself and made a mental note.

"Your breakfast is getting cold!" John yelled up to Alden from the kitchen.

"Coming!" yelled Alden back as he was heading down the stairs.

"Hurry and eat, Alden, I'm going to take you to the bus stop this morning," John said as Alden came into the kitchen.

Alden sat down and hurried to eat his waffles John had made since Abigail had been called into work early this morning for something at the hospital.

When Alden was done, John walked with him to the bus stop. The bus pulled up just as they got there.

"Have a good day, Alden," John told Alden as he got on the bus.

"Bye!" Alden yelled out the bus window.

The school day seemed to be frozen in time. Alden felt like a minute was passing for every second. He had already been told three times to pay attention in his classes today. Alden couldn't keep his mind off the fact he was a dragon. He couldn't wait for his first lesson with Jake's grandpa.

Finally, the bell rang dismissing school from session. Alden caught up with Jake on the way out the door. They were heading for the main entrance to the building when Trixie and Spud caught up with them.

"You can go skating today, Jake, can't you?" Trixie asked suspiciously.

"I'm sorry guys, but Alden and I have a project to do," Jake confessed.

"Well we'll catch up with you later then," Trixie said.

"See you later guys!" Jake yelled as he and Alden dashed away before they were late to the shop. Jake's grandpa never liked it when Jake was late.

Alden and Jake arrived at the shop panting and only one minute late.

"You're late!" Grandpa's voice came from the back of the shop.

"Sorry, G," panted Jake in reply.

"Ah, Alden Pendragon is it," asked Grandpa, "a very interesting last name you have."

"What about it?" Alden asked.

"Well the name Pendragon was the surname of King Arthur the knight."

"You mean King Arthur really lived?"

"Yes, he was somehow related to Sir Bowen who befriended Draco and began the history of dragons."

"Wow," gasped Alden, "do you think I'm related to King Arthur then?"

"We would have to look into that in the records."

"G, are we going to discuss dead guys or train today," Jake asked interrupting Alden and Grandpa.

"Yes, let us move on now," Grandpa agreed, "but Jake, you and Fu Dog, must take Alden to Magus Bizarre later to find his parentage and history."

"Whatever you say, G," agreed Jake.

On the roof, Grandpa began his training and instruction.

"Now, Alden, you must focus your mind on dragons and only dragons," started Grandpa.

"But that would take to long to do if you needed to change into dragon form quickly,"

Alden spoke his opinion out loud.

"Yes, but first you must change into dragon form to know what you need to think of or say in order to change quickly," answered Grandpa, "It will not take long with training and practice."

"Oh." Alden was shocked to find that it was so easy to change form like that.

_This shouldn't be too hard_ he thought as he closed his eyes and started concentrating on dragons. _Fire, wings, tail, strength, intelligence, immortality…_ he listed what he knew about dragons from stories and movies.

"Alden!" Jake shouted startling Alden from his thoughts.

"What? Did I do it? Is something wrong?" stammered Alden.

"Yes, you did it," Jake replied, "Open your eyes!"

Alden opened his eyes and looked down a little frightened of what he might see, but instead Alden couldn't believe it. _I'm a dragon! I'm a dragon! I'm a dragon!_ he kept thinking to himself. Alden was a shimmering gold dragon and was much bigger than Jake as a dragon. He had a 45 foot wingspan, was 30 feet long from nose to tail and was 12 feet tall at the shoulder. He had two giant horns on his head surrounded by three smaller horns for a total of eight and at the end of his tail a he had a sharp blade, sharp enough to cut through a tree, which could be drawn in and out like cats can do with their claws.

"Never have I seen a young dragon master changing forms for the first time on one try," said Grandpa shocked, "Alden, you must be more powerful than I had thought."

"Really?" Alden asked stunned.

"It took me like a month before I got it down," Jake confessed to Alden.

"Jake, change to your dragon form," Grandpa interrupted, "we must begin training and test Alden to see what he needs work on."

For an hour and a half Grandpa instructed Alden on flying. He told Alden how to use drafts and how to fly in different weather conditions. Alden also learned how his tail helped him to stay balanced while flying too. _I didn't think flying could be so technical!_ he thought as Grandpa finished today's lesson. Alden had a lot of work to do to be able to catch up with Jake's level of skill. _Jake has known that he has been a dragon longer_ he reminded himself. _I would like to be able to beat him_ he thought. Alden could be very competitive in sports and rose to any challenge often succeeding. He was very determined to catch up with Jake and master his dragon powers.

Fu Dog, which Alden found out, was a dog who could talk and was a 600 year old Shar Pei, and Jake took Alden to the subway to go to Magus Bizarre to find Alden's history and background so Grandpa would know more about Alden, and also the mystery of whether Alden was related to King Arthur or not needed to be answered. Grandpa needed to know this information so he could know exactly what Alden needed training for since some dragons have certain abilities that others don't have. Alden was also curious to find out about his ancestors and especially excited to finally learn who his blood parents were.

"Don't you use magic to get to Magus Bizarre?" Alden asked.

"No, you see, magical creatures are all about, but you can't see them since they are disguised," Fu Dog explained.

"The subway's last stop which isn't a stop for the people of New York City leads to Magus Bizarre," Jake told Alden.

At the last stop, Fu Dog, Jake and Alden stayed on while everybody got off. The driver of the subway turned out to be a magical creature in disguise, like Fu Dog had told him. They got off at the "last" stop and entered the magical world. Alden had only seen a fairy fly by, Fu Dog, and Jake turn into a dragon, so he was awestruck when he saw all the different creatures. _I still can't believe all the magical creatures I have read about are all really real!_ he thought when he saw all the different species.

"Alden, it's this way!" Jake called.

Alden couldn't help staring as he walked along behind Fu Dog and Jake.

Finally they came to a massive stone building. Alden looked up and read LIBRARY OF RECORDS above the door. They all entered and walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me, but do you have any records on King Arthur?" Jake asked the librarian.

"Yes, aisle 25," answered the librarian.

They walked down to aisle 25 and found Pendragon. The book they pulled out contained all the ancestors of King Arthur. Everything was accurate, more accurate than any human book, since it was recorded by magic spells and curses placed upon the Earth from the time the Earth was first inhabited.

In the index of the book they looked up Sir Bowen and turned to the right page.

Alden was indeed fascinated by the detail of which the magic books recorded information. It turns out that Bowen had children and Draco gave an egg to him before he died also. The egg hatched years later and Drake was born. When Drake was old and tired from fighting the Huntsclan he retired and married a beautiful maiden who was a descendant of Bowen. Bowen was a relative of King Arthur, but he never knew it because the human's record keeping was flawed and not precise. This was how the Pendragon lineage was combined with Draco, the legendary dragon, and Drake was thought to be the last of the dragons by humans because he was the last true dragon, for the new generation of dragons could change their form whenever they wanted.

When Alden turned to the last page of the lineage, he was stunned to see his name in bold cursive writing. _That means that not only do I carry the name of Pendragon, but am the last living descendant of King Arthur!_ he realized. Alden's history was so old and complicated, that this tidbit of information was nothing. His history and ancestors went back to the beginning of the time of dragons. His family was always here protecting the magical creatures of the world like he was being trained to do. The weight of the world was resting on Alden's shoulders; humans and magical creatures both depended on him. However, Alden didn't realize how big the situation was.

Also under his name were the meanings of his name and origin. Alden means "old, wise protector" in English, Draco means "dragon" in Latin and Pendragon means "from the dragons enclosed land" in Anglo-Saxon. Pendragon had been given to

King Arthur's family because they were very loyal to the dragons and fought the Huntsclan to help the dragons. The dragons in return gave them the name Pendragon for their bravery and courage in battle against the Huntsclan. The name of Pendragon was held in great honor and nobility by those who carried the name.

Alden turned back a page and finally learned his parentage and where he came from.

His father was Cedric Pendragon and his mother was Katherine. Both were from wealthy, old English families. His parents were both dragons the book read. His father was a giant brown dragon and his mother was a dazzling gold-brown dragon. _I finally know who and what my parents were after 13 years_ he thought.

Alden then turned to the history of dragons and introduction in the front of the book. It explained how Alden was a lot bigger than Jake in dragon form. English dragons from the medieval times are the largest species of dragon since they are from the original line of dragons. The Pendragon line of dragons is especially bigger because Draco and Drake were larger dragons. The book also explained about Drake and the movement of dragons and how each adapted to their different cultures and regions. The movement of dragons also led to the shrinking size of other dragons to be able to accommodate their size in newly developed empires and cities. All dragons have shrunk in size except for the Pendragon line which hasn't down sized very much. It also explained how the Huntsclan began and why dragons were deemed the protectors of the magical world. _This is really detailed and complicated_ he thought _but really interesting._ Alden had always been good in history classes. It was his best subject.

"Are you ready to go?" Jake asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Alden replied after reading the paragraph he was on.

"Now we have to go to the Dragon Council and inform them about you being a dragon," Jake explained to Alden what his grandpa had told him.

"How do we get there?" Alden asked excitedly. _Just another adventure!_ he thought.

"We have to take a magic elevator to the other side of the world to reach the Isle of Draco," Jake explained.

They got back on the subway and went to the station where you catch the magical elevator at. Jake punched the buttons in a special order that told the magical elevator to come instead of the regular one.

"Hold on tight, Alden," Fu Dog warned as they stepped on.

"Why?" Alden asked as he went to grab the hand rail.

"Because if you don't…" Jake tried to say as the elevator took off.

The magical elevator dropped down at over 200 miles per hour, rushing for the other side of the world. When they stopped and the doors opened they were upside down on this side of the world. Alden clumsily let go and fell to the floor while Jake got down with no problem. Alden picked himself up and wiped off the dirt from his T-shirt and pants.

"…you'll end up stuck to the ceiling or thrown around," Jake finished.

"I see," Alden replied rubbing his new bruises he had obtained.

"It's OK kid, Jake did worse the first time he rode the elevator," Fu Dog said encouragingly.

"Fu Dog!"

"What? It's the truth!"

They walked up to the giant building on the island and proceeded up the stairs to the entrance. They entered and Alden followed behind Jake to the receptionist at the front desk.

"We need to speak with the Dragon Council quickly," Jake told the lady.

"They are free at the moment, you may proceed into the room to speak with them," she replied.

"Thanks," Jake said as he stepped around the desk.

Jake pushed open the office door to the Dragon Council, one of the many that existed in the hallway. In the building they were in sat the statues of the threats to the magical community. The Dark Dragon was number one and the Huntsclan was number four.

In the office sat Councilor Kulde, Councilor Chang and Councilor Andam. They were discussing something with angry voices when Jake and Alden entered. They immediately stopped their discussion and all looked up to see who had entered.

"Jake Long," Councilor Kulde addressed Jake, "what an unexpected surprise.

What are you here for?"

"This is Alden Pendragon and he is an unregistered dragon related to King Arthur, Sir Bowen and Draco," spilled Jake.

"Really and how do you know this?"

"My grandpa trained him some before we went and looked it up in the records," Jake explained, "How else could he have gotten to this island if he weren't a dragon?"

"Good point."

"Thank you for informing us, Jake Long," Councilor Chang cut in.

"Your parents are missed and were loved by dragons all over. They were heroes," Councilor Andam spoke for the first time to Alden.

"You're dismissed Jake Long and Alden Pendragon," Councilor Kulde bade them good-bye, "Jake's grandpa can continue training you in your lessons, Alden."

"Thank you, Sir," Alden replied.

"Good-bye," Jake waved to the councilors.

Their trip back home was quiet, except for the elevator ride as they rushed back to the other side of the world to New York City. Alden got a hang of the elevator this time and didn't get beaten up as badly. Both boys had things on their minds to think about. Alden didn't know why his parents were so missed and loved by the dragon population. The book hadn't given any information on how they died, but just their death dates.

It was only around 6:00 pm when they got back into New York City off the subway.

When they went to tell Grandpa the news he already knew it. Councilor Kulde had already called to inform him.

Jake and Alden said good-bye and went separate ways home to a warm dinner. _What a day_ he thought _life will never be the same after this!_ Alden couldn't wait to start training with Jake's grandpa and Fu Dog. He had a lot of catching up to do to reach the level of dragons his age. Alden was determined to catch up with Jake to be as good as him. He couldn't wait to be part of the fight against the Huntsclan.

Alden walked up the front steps and unlocked the door to his house.

"Did you finish your project with Jake, Alden?" Abigail asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah," Alden replied.

"Dinner is almost ready."

"Good because I am starving," Alden said as he ran up the stairs to his bedroom.

Alden put away his school stuff and cleaned up for dinner.

After dinner Alden finished some homework and got ready for bed. He was so tired that he was going to drop from exhaustion any minute. He had never done so much in one day before. Grandpa had all ready given him some exercises to build strength and flexibility, but Alden didn't have any energy to do them.

He got in bed and as he lay there waiting for sleep to claim him he was wondering what he would do tomorrow for training. _I hope we do more flying_ he thought _as long as it isn't too hard._ He was really sore from today's training._ I should have done some stretches before getting in bed_ he told himself. Being an athlete Alden knew how important it was to stretch before and after physical exercise.

As Alden fell asleep he dreamt about his parents and what could have been the reason for their deaths. Otherwise, Alden slept soundly without anymore dreams. Tomorrow his life would change as he went through his dragon training and there wasn't anyway of going back.


End file.
